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The UFC Women’s Strawweight division at 115 pounds is one of the most competitive and technically diverse weight classes in women’s MMA. Led by Zhang Weili — one of the most accomplished women’s champions in UFC history — the division features world-class strikers, elite grapplers, and fighters who have dedicated their careers to mastering the complete game at the sport’s lightest women’s weight class. Here is the full 2025 breakdown.

UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion: Zhang Weili

Zhang Weili is the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion and one of the most dominant champions in the history of women’s MMA. The Chinese fighter known as “Magnum” won the title in August 2019 by stopping Jessica Andrade in just 42 seconds — one of the fastest title-winning performances in UFC women’s history — and has since compiled a championship record that includes some of the most impressive performances in her division’s history.

Zhang’s championship run was interrupted when Rose Namajunas stopped her at UFC 261 in April 2021 with a head kick knockout. Weili then won two Fight of the Year contenders against Namajunas — losing a split decision in their October 2021 rematch before reasserting herself with a dominant showing in their third fight to recapture the title. The trilogy established both fighters’ legacies and made the strawweight division one of the most watched in women’s MMA.

Zhang’s skill set is exceptionally well-rounded. Her striking combines power and precision with elite volume; she throws combinations at a pace that wears down opponents across three and five rounds. Her grappling has improved dramatically throughout her UFC tenure, and she now presents genuine submission and takedown threats alongside her primary striking game. She trains out of ATT (American Top Team) in the United States and has adopted the Western MMA training culture while maintaining the mental discipline instilled through her Chinese combat sports background.

Top Strawweight Contenders

#1 Yan Xiaonan

Yan Xiaonan is a Chinese pressure fighter who has built one of the most impressive winning streaks in the strawweight division. Known for her volume striking and relentless forward pressure, she earned a title shot against Zhang Weili and has established herself as the primary contender at 115 pounds. Her Chinese-vs-Chinese title fight narrative gives the bout added stakes for the rapidly growing Chinese MMA audience.

#2 Rose Namajunas

Rose Namajunas is a two-time UFC Strawweight Champion and the most significant fighter in the division’s history outside of Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The “Thug Rose” from Denver has won the title twice — once with a first-round head kick of Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 217 that produced one of the sport’s most stunning upsets, and once with a head kick of Zhang Weili at UFC 261. Her fighting style is technically sophisticated, built on elite boxing with unorthodox angles, and she remains a legitimate title threat despite the losses in the Weili trilogy.

#3 Tatiana Suarez

Tatiana Suarez is widely regarded as the most naturally gifted wrestler in the history of women’s MMA. Her wrestling credentials are elite — she was a two-time NCAA Division II national champion and a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in freestyle wrestling before transitioning to MMA. In the UFC, she dominated her first nine fights without a loss before injury sidelined her for several years. Her return to competition has been closely monitored by the division, and the question of how she matches up against the top names at strawweight remains compelling precisely because her extended absence created uncertainty about her peak level.

#4 Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern is a BJJ world champion and one of the most talented submission grapplers in women’s MMA history. The daughter of MMA pioneer Wellington “Megaton” Dias, Dern was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend before she ever competed in MMA, holding multiple world titles in gi and no-gi competition. Her striking has improved throughout her UFC career, and when she is able to get fights to the ground, few women in the division can match her grappling credentials. Her ceiling is as high as anyone’s in the division if her striking development continues.

#5 Virna Jandiroba

Virna Jandiroba is a Brazilian submission grappler who has found consistent success in the UFC strawweight division with her combination of pressure wrestling and BJJ-based ground game. She has defeated several notable names in the division and represents the kind of well-rounded threat that makes for difficult matchups against pure strikers at 115 pounds.

The Joanna Jędrzejczyk Legacy

Any discussion of the strawweight division must acknowledge Joanna Jędrzejczyk, the Polish fighter who dominated the weight class with seven consecutive title defenses from 2015 to 2017 — the most in women’s strawweight history. Her striking, built on a Muay Thai foundation, was so far ahead of the competition during her reign that she appeared to be in a different sport from her challengers. Her rivalry with Zhang Weili at UFC 248 — a five-round war that produced one of the most remarkable performances in women’s MMA history, resulting in Weili winning a split decision — stands as the greatest fight in the division’s history. Jędrzejczyk retired in 2022, leaving a legacy that will define the strawweight division for years to come.